FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Disney is suing in the wrong court at the wrong time over an order forcing eight ABC-owned stations to seek license renewal early, and he said the agency has not decided whether to move toward revoking those licenses.
Carr made the remarks at an agency news conference in Washington as Disney presses a case accusing the Commission of retaliating against ABC’s programming. “Look, when it comes to this particular Disney litigation, it’s very clear we’ve made the case in our pleadings that Disney has filed at the wrong time in the wrong court, making meritless arguments. But other than that, I think they’re doing pretty well in their litigation,” he said.
He told Reuters the company “seems to be a little nervous about what the record’s showing,” and, asked whether he has decided to begin revocation proceedings, said, “We haven’t made a decision about when we’re making a decision.”
The dispute centers on an April 28, 2026, order directing all eight ABC owned-and-operated stations to file renewal applications well ahead of the normal cycle. For more than 50 years the FCC had not ordered a broadcaster to renew early. Disney and ABC sued in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging the order violates the First Amendment and is an attempt to censor a network whose coverage the administration dislikes. The complaint says the Commission demanded review of the stations’ licenses “extraordinarily early.”
The FCC’s account is different. Carr has said the early review grew out of an Enforcement Bureau investigation, opened in March 2025, into Disney diversity, equity, and inclusion programs the agency suspects violate antidiscrimination rules. The Commission argues the timing was not driven by programming complaints, including presidential criticism of ABC and Jimmy Kimmel. Disney counters that the review is retaliation for speech and that Carr is acting in line with White House pressure on agency leaders to scrutinize private-sector DEI.
Carr has also said Disney’s filing does not fit the review path required by the Communications Act. The company has separately opposed an FCC motion to strike from the appellate record social-media posts and news articles documenting comments by Carr and President Trump about ABC and Disney. No license decision has been announced.
The FCC’s account is different. Carr has said the early review grew out of an Enforcement Bureau investigation, opened in March 2025, into Disney diversity, equity, and inclusion programs the agency suspects violate antidiscrimination rules. The Commission argues the timing was not driven by programming complaints, including presidential criticism of ABC and Jimmy Kimmel. Disney counters that the review is retaliation for speech and that Carr is acting in line with White House pressure on agency leaders to scrutinize private-sector DEI.
Carr has also said Disney’s filing does not fit the review path required by the Communications Act. The company has separately opposed an FCC motion to strike from the appellate record social-media posts and news articles documenting comments by Carr and President Trump about ABC and Disney. No license decision has been announced.